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HMS Sirius
HMS Sirius, a Dido Class Light Cruiser, was built at Portsmouth Dockyard and was
launched 18 September 1940. The completion of the ship was delayed
by heavy bombing of the area. She was completed in May 1942 and joined the Home Fleet.
Until August when she headed for the Mediterranean to take part in Operation Pedestal.
The South Atlantic was the next destination, patroling against Axis blockade runners
on the Far East route. November saw her return to Gibraltar to take part in the North African landings
Operation Torch. Sirius remained in and around the Med. until September the following year,
when she took part in the occupation of Taranto before transferring to the Adriatic.
On the 5th October 1943, she helped annihilate a German convoy in the Dodecanese.
Sirius was badly damaged by bombs off Scarpunto Island on 17th October,
and sailed to Massawa for repairs. These were carried out between November 1943
and February 1944.
The ship returned to Britain for Operation Overlord,
the Normandy landings, as part of the reserve of the Eastern Task Force.
In August 44 she returned to Mediterranean waters for Operation Dragoon, the landings in
the South of France. Sirius returned to the Aegean and was present during the reoccupation
of Athens in October 1944.
After the War HMS Sirius remained with the Mediterranean Fleet.
After refit at Portsmouth in 1946, Sirius joined
the Home Fleet in March 1947. She was paid off in 1949 and was put up for disposal in 1956.
On 15 October 1956 Sirius arrived at the yard of Hughes Bolkow, Blyth and was broken up.
27th June 1943 Exercise Undertaken
2nd July 1943 Visit
4th July 1943 Church Service
18th Aug 1944 Operations
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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Those known to have sailed in HMS Sirius during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Abbott Harold. Sig. (d.17th Oct 1943)
- Acaster Harry. Gnr/cook
- Atherton George Arthur. AB.
- Barr Bernard Hughes. Able Sea.
- Barrett Augustus William.
- Barrett Jack. Able Sea
- Bellion George.
- Bilton Harry. Marine
- Bird Edwin John.
- Braggins John George Sydney. Able Seaman
- Brown Harry. Able Sea.
- Brown DSC Richard James Thomas. Sub Lt.
- Carr Frederick Norman. CPO.
- Carr Frederick Norman. CPO.
- Carroll Frank.
- Clark DSM. Robert. A/PO.
- Crombie Thomas. Able Sea.
- Deacon Peter.
- Depledge DSC, MID Donald. Lt.Cdr.
- Dines Frank. CPO
- Dines Frank. CPO
- Elliott George Douglas. Able Seaman
- Eveleigh Clifford Leslie.
- Farwell Philip G. E,. Sub.Lt.
- Fulton William Robert.
- Gray Arthur. P.O.
- Green Jimmy. Able Sea.
- Harfitt MiD. James. Mech.1
- Harris Albert. CPO Stkr.
- Hiles Michael Alfred Webster. Ldg. Sea.
- Holloway Jack Steve Mark. Stoker 1st class. (d.17th Oct 1943)
- Holmes Tommy.
- Jones Desmond.
- Kitchen Charles.
- Leach F. C.. CPO
- Lornie Peter Barnard. A/CPO
- Lornie Peter Barnard. CPO.
- Mell Leonard Sedgewick. Sea.
- Mort Reginald Gordon. Joiner 3rd Class
- Neal Gilbert John William.
- Packham Maurice. Ord.Sea.
- Parks Herbert. Stkr. (d.17th Oct 1943)
- Prowse Ronald George Frederick. Sgt.
- Rocca Ambrose.
- Simpson Dennis Frederick.
- Smith Patrick.
- Stafford Robert.
- Steer John.
- Stone Len.
- Stretch Charles.
- Thorne Ronald Percy.
- Tinkler Thomas Arthur.
- Tinkler Thomas Arthur.
- Turner George Topsy.
- Watkins Frederick Job. Lt.
- Wilkins Leslie Thomas. OA/1st
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
Records of HMS Sirius from other sources.
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Want to know more about HMS Sirius? There are:4 items tagged HMS Sirius available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Sub.Lt. Philip G. E, Farwell HMS Sirius My father and my god-father both served on HMS Sirius from her commissioning in 1942 until 1945. My god-father was Philip G E Farwell RN, initially a sub-lieutenant. I don’t know what rank he eventually reached. He left the navy after the war and went into the Colonial Service in Africa. My father was Fredrick J Watkins RNR, initially a sub-lieutenant, though by the time he was demobbed he had become a lieutenant-commander.
I could tell you a little more, though mainly I thought it would be good to have their names appear at this excellent site, alongside their many shipmates.
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Gilbert John William Neal HMS Sirius My Dad's name is Gilbert John William Neal, aka Gilly from Marlow in Bucks, and the photo I have of him the Navy is dated 5th October 1944. He was 18 then. I am looking for anyone that knows anything about my Dad's service on the HMS Sirius in WW2, in particular about the girl he was engaged to in Sydney Australia, name unknown.
I now live just outside Brisbane, QLD. Any anecdotes, stories and pictures from his Naval days would be much appreciated.
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CPO Frank Dines HMS Sirius My dad, CPO Frank Dines, served on HMS Sirius for nearly all of her wartime service, I am trying to research his story and would be grateful to hear if anyone remembers him. He was with the ship when she escorted Operation Pedestal through the Med to Malta.
I have his crossing the line certificate which is dated August 26 1942 in Longitude 8 degrees 51 minutes West and that he visited HMS Hannibal, the stone frigate at Algiers, and also Freetown in Sierra Leone and Simons Town in South Africa.
On demob – he had passed his exams to become an officer but his employer wanted him back immediately after cessation of hostilities in Europe so he was never promoted – he was Naval Correspondent for the Portsmouth Evening News. In 1951, he was appointed Editor of the Northern Daily Mail in West Hartlepool and in 1965 he became Director of Training for Portsmouth & Sunderland Newspapers Ltd.
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CPO Frank Dines HMS Sirius My dad, CPO Frank Dines, served on HMS Sirius for nearly all of her wartime service, I am trying to research his story and would be grateful to hear if anyone remembers him. He was with the ship when she escorted Operation Pedestal through the Med to Malta.
I have his crossing the line certificate which is dated August 26 1942 in Longitude 8 degrees 51 minutes West and that he visited HMS Hannibal, the stone frigate at Algiers, and also Freetown in Sierra Leone and Simons Town in South Africa.
On demob – he had passed his exams to become an officer but his employer wanted him back immediately after cessation of hostilities in Europe so he was never promoted – he was Naval Correspondent for the Portsmouth Evening News. In 1951, he was appointed Editor of the Northern Daily Mail in West Hartlepool and in 1965 he became Director of Training for Portsmouth & Sunderland Newspapers Ltd.
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Thomas Arthur Tinkler HMS Sirius The late Thomas Arthur Tinkler served on Sirius in WW2.
He told me that he served throughout the Mediterranean and was on the ship during a repair period at Massawa (during the "must get through convoy to Malta)and onto the Normandy landings, where I believe he was part of a shore party sent to assist stranded landing craft. He told me whilst ashore they were shelled by HMS Nelson. Tommy features on some of the photos on the web page, the most notable being on the gun deck to the front right of Harry Bamford. Seaman Tinkler, sadly passed away several years ago. Because I did not acquire a computer until recently, he never knew about the web site. Without doubt he would have been very proud to have seen himself on some of the snapshots. Tommy was invited to lunch on board HMS Belfast to mark the 50th anniversary of the D-day landings and that really made him very proud. I understand that he was a stoker and acted as Engineers' runner when the ship was at action stations. I tried on several occasions to get Tom's name added to the crew list. Finally, Tommy, like many men, had to be prodded and prompted to talk about his war, but such is the debt that we owe to the countless departed Tommy Tinklers that we should never forget them.
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Ambrose "Joe" Rocca HMS Sirius My dad, Ambrose Rocca, often known as Joe, was on HMS Sirius. Sadly I
don't know much about his service as he died when I was 12, and he
52. I know he was in the Mediterranean and we have pictures of Churchill when
he visited. I think he was an officer, and he had a good friend
called Ted Gordon who was from South Africa. I would love to hear any
information about his war time. Also, he was in the Med for quite a
while after the end of hostilities. I would welcome any info about
that too.
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George Topsy Turner HMS Sirius My father, George "Topsy" Turner served on board H.M.S. Sirius as a gunner in one of the forward turrets. He has now passed on but he did bring back some memoirs of his time aboard H.M.S.Sirius. Such as a ships bible - a battle penant and a cap band from the german warship Prinz Eugen. I also seem to recall him making a mention of saving the ships cat in a cap after a torpedo attack.
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Sea. Leonard Sedgewick Mell HMS Sirius Leonard Mell is my stepfather. He has a page on Frank S. Taylor Family and Royal History He served aboard HMS Scarab from August 1944 to February 1945, and then on HMS Sirius. I found this out only a few weeks ago.
He will be 93 on the 30th August 2019. He is now in a nursing home and I see him twice a week (he still has a shot or two of Sinkers rum when I visit!).
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Edwin John "Snowy" Bird HMS Sirius Edwin Bird served on HMS Sirius.
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AB. George Arthur Atherton HMS Sirius George Atherton served in HMS Sirius.
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A/PO. Robert "Nobby" Clark DSM. HMS Sirius My father, Robert Clark joined the Royal Navy as a boy sailor in 1936 when he signed up for 12 years. He was an Anti Aircraft gunner using multi-barrel Pom Pom guns.
Dad served on a number of different ships including HMS Hood when WW2 broke out. He served on HMS Oribi during Operation Archery on the raid on Norway where he was awarded the DSM. He joined HMS Sirius in May 1942 and served in the Mediterranean for the next 2 years and left HMS Sirius after D-day. He was a surviving AA bridge gunner during the bombing late in 1943.
He then next served on HMS Belfast for the two year voyage to the Far East from February 1945 to December 1947.
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Able Sea. Bernard Hughes Barr HMS Heythrop My uncle Barney, Bernard Barr joined the navy in 1939 aged 17.
His first ship was HMS Heythrop which was sunk by a torpedo from U652 on the 20th of Mar 1942 in the Mediterranean.
Barney was briefly on HMS Sirius and then HMS Mauritius through to the end of the war.
He's still going strong at 97 years and has told me many a good story.
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